FENTON, MI — When they decided to go into business with each other, Ginny and Matt Sherrow thought about what they had in common.

“We like to drink,” Ginny Sherrow said with a laugh.

The husband and wife are the owner of Fenton Winery and Brewery, which they opened in January 2008, making only wine and serving it in their original 2,000-square-foot space.

Matt Sherrow was an engineer and Ginny was in finance, and both were looking for something new. They’d made wine and home-brewed beer at home, and decided to take it to the next level.

“I got to the point where I was done with the competition thing,” Matt Sherrow said of being an engineer and climbing the corporate ladder. “I wanted to start my own business. … We started a business of something we knew.”

Looking back on the past five years, Ginny Sherrow said, “It’s a story of growth.”

That much is evident. Their original space is now the overflow seating room for the winery and brewery that is now just under 6,000 square feet. Down the road is their newest facility, a banquet center and under-construction tap room connected to their expanded brewing equipment. Matt Sherrow used to brew one keg of beer at a time. Now, each batch kicks out 14 kegs. In the fall, they’ll be distributing to local restaurants.

But if it’s a story of growth, it’s also one of struggle. Once they had decided to start a business, made their business plan and had completed their build-out, the economy tanked. They kept at it and said their business strategy was to grow one customer at a time.

They also worked. A lot.

“If we weren’t here, the lights weren’t on,” Matt Sherrow said.

It paid off, literally. Their expanded space is full of high-top tables as well as a variety of leather chairs around lower tables or just circled together, designed as a place to kick back with a beer or glass of wine.

They have eight beers that are their standards that never change and four rotating taps. Among the standards is the customer favorite, an amber ale that they say is a balance of flavors—not too bitter or hoppy, not too dark.

All of their beers as well as wines, they said, are based on that idea of balance. As an example, they mentioned their aptly named “Head-on Collision Black IPA.” IPAs (it stands for India Pale Ale) are known for the large amount of hops — a beer ingredient that creates a somewhat bitter bite that many beer drinkers can’t get enough of. Black beers — porters and stouts — are known for their notes of coffee and chocolate. Hops and dark beers aren’t exactly what you expect to go together, but it can make for a great blend if it’s done right.

They have also tried to strike that balance with wine and beer together. Yes, you read that correctly.

At the most recent Michigan Beer Festival, Ginny Sherrow said they ran out of the beer in 40 minutes once the word got out.

Despite all the growth, some things haven’t changed.

“We still work a lot,” Ginny Sherrow said.

It’s work, but it’s also fun. Standing near their new brewing equipment, not far from where the new tap room will be, a fermentation tank made a steady slurping, bubbling noise.

“I love the sound of fermentation,” Matt Sherrow said.

Ginny said one of her favorite things to do is to sit back and watch her staff work — they’re trained to know the beers and wines inside and out — and look at what she and her husband created.

“It’s surreal to know that none of this existed until we made it exist,” she said.

MLive entertainment reporter John Gonzales and Flint Journal reporter Scott Atkinson will be heading to Fenton Winery and brewery Sept. 21 from 7:15-8:15 p.m. Check out this story for more details and com out and join them for a drink!

Fenton Winery and Brewery is located at 1545 North Leroy Street. For more information visit the website or call 810-373-4194